"Our lab recently purchased an ICS-5000 HPIC. The installation of the system took a little longer than we would have expected due to availability of expert installer. The backup installer did a decent job, but had to make many calls to the expert installer for help. After the expert installer arrived on site a week later, all of the missing parameters were completed and tool was completely up and running within a few hours of their arrival.
For anyone purchasing a new system, it is important to have a clear and direct communication with the most expert installer available. I believe that we would have had a very smooth installation if the expert installer was available from the beginning. Nevertheless, the system is up and running with no major issues. It is a wonderful piece of equipment and the autosampler is the best feature we've been able to add. With hundreds of samples processed every week, this is a critical piece. We are very happy with the tool and familiar performance. The install service could have been better though.
"

"The ICS systems from Thermo (formerly Dionex) are still a great piece of equipment. After the instrument and software are set up, it is very easy to run all of the analysis with ease. The new Chromeleon software is great, integration is a snap, and the added benefit of the autosampler greatly reduces need to change samples every time - just load and go. I am glad that we finally upgraded or older systems to this one as I see we will have much use for it. There are so many features that I have yet to tap in to."

Application Area:Separation of metal species prior to analysis by ICP/MS

"The IC5000 system gives reliable and reproducible result day after day, week after week and month after month. It is an invaluable tool in our metal separation and determination. Aside from the very occasional communication issue, we employ this technique as our gold standard for metal species analysis."

Application Area:Sugar analysis, anions and cations in waters and soils.

"Good results once instrument was up and going. We had many hours of frustration getting the instrument to perform properly. Now it works great. Perfect for sugar analysis and cations and anions in marsh water."

"I love the eluent generator. However there is not much more of the system that I can say I love.
I have problems with reproducibility of the injections. Whenever a column or suppressor is changed it take over a week for the system to stabilize . If you are in a high output lab this is not the instrument for you. I'm sorry we made the purchase.
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"System is easy to use and reliable when you have learnt how it works and how Chromeleon application works.
After purchasing, Thermo's Finland agent trained us, but we think the training wasn't of a high quality. We didn't learn enough. Also when problems in analysis Thermo's Finland agent cannot help adequately.
Sometimes it is a long time before ordered products arrive, for example IC-eluent liquid took one month to arrive to target. At the same time system was down, and we just waited... (original eluent-buffer was fouled for some reason).
Annual maintenance (once per year) is pricey compared to similar lab system device's maintenance.
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"A little disappointed. The software has glitches, and there's a problem with the ICW. Service and sales have been good trying to get it remedied, but there shouldn't be problems this large with an instrument that costs this amount of money."

"Chromeleon's worklist feature would be much better on the 5000+ if you could use one worklist to build sequences for both instruments. This is especially helpful if the worklist is generated from a LIMS system automatically so I can balance load on both systems without manual intervention. Because it is XML based this should not be a very hard change to implement. The system itself works very well once it is dialled in for the application. I experienced a very tough period where the instrument would not deliver valid or reproducible results and repeated calls for assistance went unanswered 90% of the time. I finally found a Thermo paper on the AS-AP's performance and after implementing the findings I found the system came right into line with very good results and reproducibility. Overall, after the learning curve, it is a great system and does the jobs I need it to do well."

"We use this product for a variety of quality control analyses, utilizing both a conductivity detector and VWD detector. The sensitivity on both of these detectors are fantastic! We utilize a quaternary pump which works very well for both gradient and isocratic applications. This instrument has been very reliable overall, but the one instance we needed service we had someone in here to fix it the next day and we were back in action. Overall very satisfied with this purchase, it is a very powerful piece of equipment."

"We use IC5000 with ICP_MS as a detector. We satisfied with this instrument. Detection limit is pretty low, it is quite simple and easy in maintenance. I could recommend this machine to other researchers. "

"It has been almost 1.5 years since I bought this, but it is still under installation phase. I was talked into buying multiple capabilities, which was not a good idea.
So far, some of the analysis are impressive. Still have to do a lot tweaking and method development to achieve the accuracy and quality. One way to leave a good impression with customers is to advise them honestly on the product's capabilities and limits."

"The Dionex brand has a high reputation for being the best system in the industry. The quality of craftsmanship and reliability is top-notch.
With the acquisition of Dionex by Thermo Fisher, the quality of service had severely declined, however. After purchasing this system, it took many months to have on-site service and support just to get the system to operate as expected. The expertise that Dionex was known for is practically non-existent. There are also no knowledgeable technicians that are able to provide assistance with older systems that are still operational.
Although I still recommend this product, the service after the sale needs to be better. This lack has given rise to the smaller competitor in the ion chromatography industry, which is not necessarily as robust.
I am hoping that Thermo is able to come out of this and get back to the glory days of Dionex."

"In my opinion HPIC system is a very good alternative for standard IC systems. HPIC needs much less sample, uses less eluent and creates less waste. It is possible to significantly decrease the analysis time thanks to high pressure system capability.
Unfortunately HPIC system does not completely "mirror" standard IC method as some columns are still not developed for it. In my case these are metal traps which are essential for long lasting column and system life. Hope in near future HPIC will gain as well this capability."

"The Dionex ICS-5000 is very easy to use and very versatile. Our ICS-5000 is set-up to analyze for organic acids and anions in water, wort, & beer. It's a very reliable instrument and very easy to maintain! I'm so glad our department purchased this instrument!"

"This product is extremely critical for our final vaccine product potency evaluation. This equipment works great with a newly installed autosampler. Results are amazingly consistent. It is a very valuable addition to our QC. Thanks to Thermo in designing a user-friendly and reliable tool to vaccine manufacture community. "

The Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ ICS-5000+ Reagent-Free™ HPIC™ system with Eluent Generation is the world’s first universal high-pressure IC system. Developed with flexibility, modularity, and ease-of-use in mind, the Dionex ICS-5000+ HPIC system combines the highest sensitivity with convenience.

With the ability to analyze samples at capillary, microbore, or standard flow rates (or any combination of two, in a dual system) at up to 5000 psi, the system is our most adaptable IC. The wide variety of Dionex ICS-5000+ modules allows you to configure an ion chromatography system designed specifically to provide the analytical solutions you need.

The Dionex ICS-5000+ HPIC is the first system with an all-PEEK flow path capable of operating continuously at 5000 psi. Reagent-Free HPIC systems redefine the way ion chromatography is performed. High backpressure tolerance lets you increase flow rates to maximize your throughput while still benefiting from the advantages of electrolytic eluent generation and suppression.

Significant performance enhancements make the Dionex ICS-5000+ HPIC system the most sensitive, stable, and easy to use ion chromatography system available today. Dramatic improvements in flow rate accuracy, eluent generator electronics stability, and conductivity cell temperature control increase baseline stability and enhance sensitivity.